Glossary A–ZLetter S
Service level agreement (SLA)
A service level agreement (SLA) is a contractual agreement that sets out in measurable terms what service a provider delivers, such as availability, response time and time to resolution.
It also governs what applies if these values are not met.
In screen networks there are SLAs for cloud management software, for on-site service and for replacing faulty devices. Typical figures are availability as a percentage per month, service hours such as weekdays from 8 am to 6 pm, and the time to first response depending on the severity of the fault. A worked example: 99.9 per cent availability in a 30-day month allows about 43 minutes of downtime.
What matters is how it is measured and what is excluded, such as announced maintenance windows. Response time is not resolution time. The software provider’s SLA does not cover faults in the operator’s own network or a broken screen. Service credits for breaches are usually small compared with the damage; an SLA is valuable above all as a clear expectation that both sides know. Different hours often apply at weekends and on public holidays.